Perhaps most surprisingly in this taut little whodunit slasher, is that the perpetrators of the heinous crimes I’m about to outline are capable of Year 4 spelling –Â scrawling “you’re – as in ‘you are’ – next” on the walls and windows at the various scenes of the various crimes.
It seems that the education levels of even our criminals is improving. Well done society…
In this case it is the victims who continually exhibit bad decision making skills and logical deficiencies. But that said, it is partially understandable that when the victims are such a well to do family living in luxurious surrounds, then they probably wouldn’t stoop to ever watching a horror flick. Maybe if they did they wouldn’t be mostly dead.
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We all know that family gatherings are fertile soil in which to grow and nurture arguments. So why should a 35th wedding anniversary that brings parents, adult kids and their partners together, be any different.
It isn’t. The grudges rise even before dinner. The ‘he was always the favourite’, the ‘her boyfriend is a moron‘, the ‘told you he’d never amount to anything’ behind gritted teeth.
The resentment between some of the ‘kids’ is instantly palpable, and the judgement of some of the partners on plain display. This will be a long and painful ‘celebration’ indeed.
Then an arrow pierces both window and skull, and the tension is momentarily eased…
Masked mysterios sit motionless outside, just waiting for the bad decision that separates the herd or elevates the tension, eventually providing them with opportunity. They needn’t wait long. Within minutes the group has fractured. Some want out. Some want in. Some want to be left alone. All eventually get their wish. The bad guys have never had it so easy. For a while…
There’s always one invitee who hasn’t had such a privileged existence, always one who has had to work for a living, to graft, to get by, to overcome adversity. Always at least one who’s seen a horror movie or two.
You’re Next is bloody and fast moving. It suffers in the early goings under the weight of bad decisions and formulaic action, but is saved (and how) by the freak out last few minutes. It steals John Carpenter’s music – hey he hasn’t used it in anything worthwhile for twenty years! – and takes liberally from The Strangers, although it never allows the tension to build like that film.
And at the risk of repeating myself, what seems like a humdrum middle tier effort is elevated by a frenetic last blood spattered fifteen that finally gives you someone to root for.
As someone wiser than I once said “have them leaving happy and they’ll forget the first hour”. Well that’s probably what they would have said.
Final Rating – 7.5 / 10. You’re Next threatens mediocrity for a solid hour, then finishes in a blaze of glory. A welcome save that makes this a memorable 35th anniversary party for all.
